Budgets, bailouts and rogues

[UJ]( [Mail & Guardian Newsletter logo](#) [mg.co.za]( [The Ampersand Daily Newsletter from the M&G team](#) [Divider Strip] October 16 2020 | [View in browser]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Hi there, Congratulations to you, reader, for reaching the end of another week. We hope this means you can sit back on a lazy Friday and enjoy the Mail & Guardian. Here are our picks for this edition's must-read stories -- the first two are subscriber exclusive. ANC's rogue deployees revealed The preliminary list of ANC members at regional level who are implicated in misdeeds, which was handed to the ANC's Luthuli House headquarters, provides a [glimpse into the level of corruption and fraud]( comrades have been involved in, write Athandiwe Saba, Paddy HarperandKhaya Koko. Though not complete, it lists six cases of rape and one of sexual harassment, as well as conspiracy to murder, corruption, fraud and arson. The ruling party's integrity commission has dealt with very few cases -- and dozens are still pending at the provincial level. SAA bailout raises more questions With about two weeks to go before the medium term budget policy speech, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni -- otherwise known as Twitter's Glenryck Pilchards' chief influencer -- is probably sitting on the worst kept secret: the government will once again issue a cash bailout for SAA. Although there is nothing fundamentally wrong with giving a bailout to a state-owned entity, SAA has shown time and time again [to be a bad investment]( reports Sabelo Skiti. And the allocation will come at a time when the country is being urged to stop expenditure that will not contribute directly to the cause of reviving our Covid-ravaged economy. Too broke for Mboweni to budget That ailing state-owned airline is one of the reasons that the under-pressure [Mboweni postponed the medium-term budget]( policy speech due to have taken place on 21 October, report Sabelo Skiti and Thando Maeko. Mboweni also has to balance consolidating a crippled budget, corroded by Covid-19, plus the extension by a further three months of the temporary Covid relief grant for six million South Africans, as well as funding for public sector salary increases. Both of these will easily cost billions of rands the country's purse does not have. The M&G spoke to various sources with intimate knowledge of the subject this week. To read these stories and more, please consider taking out a subscription. A digital subscription goes for as little as R99. [Newsletter subscription]( Until Tuesday Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Divider Strip] [MG public servants]( [Divider Strip] [Gems]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( You are receiving this email on {EMAIL} because 1.) You're a member of "Mail & Guardian" or 2.) previously subscribed [M&G logo] 25 Owl St, Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg, 2092 Want to be removed? No problem! [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Email support: help@media-connect.co.za - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -